1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a propulsion engine housing for a motor vehicle. According to the invention, the engine housing includes at least one door arranged to be position in at least one closed and one open position.
2. State of the Art
On certain types of heavy motor vehicles, such as cross-country construction vehicles, the engine is located relatively high in order to obtain good ground clearance of the vehicle. In order to facilitate access to the engine for the driver/mechanic during service, one or more rungs or steps are usually provided in at the outside of the driver""s cab and which lead to a ledge adjacent the engine where a mechanic can stand when servicing the engine. One problem with this solution is that the steps outside the cab can be too high above the ground to allow easy access to the engine for the driver/mechanic. This particular problem is often resolved by providing the vehicle with extra steps below the fixed steps on the outside of the cab in order to facilitate the driver/mechanic reaching the driver""s cab/propulsion engine.
One problem occurring in connection with the extra step(s) are that they are normally positioned so far down that there will be a risk, during operation, especially cross-country operation, that they will bump into objects on the ground and be damaged. It occurs, however, that this detrimental aspect of the added step is often solved by providing a detachable ladder on the vehicle that can be placed on the ground for servicing the engine.
This procedure, however, causes certain problems. When such a ladder is not in use, it is fairly cumbersome to keep on the vehicle. Furthermore, special fixtures are required on the vehicle to prevent the ladder from falling off the vehicle during operation and being lost. Finally, the user may experience the ladder as unstable when used on uneven ground.
An object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for facilitating access for the driver/mechanic to the engine of a vehicle. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, a step is provided on the inside of a door comprising a part of the housing within which the vehicle engine is arranged. This door is arranged to allow positioning in a closed position and in an open position in which at least one step can be used. This means that when the door is open, the driver/mechanic may use the step for easier ascent to the engine level at the same time that access to the engine is facilitated since the door is open. This location of the step on the inside of the door further entails that the step is protected from external damage when the door is closed.
According to one preferred embodiment, the door is pivotally attached to the vehicle frame about its lower horizontal long side by means of a hinge arrangement. This results in the step always being easily accessible and being independent, for its stability, of the prevailing ground conditions around the vehicle.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the door constitutes an end section, preferably the front section of the engine housing. This enables ledges to be arranged along the sides of the engine housing, on which a mechanic may stand in connection with servicing the engine.
According to another preferred embodiment, at least one further step is provided on the inside of the door, preferably a folding step requiring only a small space, and in turn allowing the thickness of the door, and thus the space requirement, to be limited.
According to still another preferred embodiment, the door is designed as a self-supporting structure, for example made of metal, on the inside of which steps are provided. One advantage of the door being configured according to this embodiment is that it will be of relatively simple construction and thus simpler and less costly in manufacture.
Further advantages and objects of the invention can be gathered from the appended claims and the following description.